Showing posts with label teamwork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teamwork. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Why Team Ministry Is Better Than a One-Man Show - J. Lee Grady

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Lee Grady in Hungary
Team players: Lee Grady ministered in Debrecen, Hungary, last week with these men from Hungary and Australia. (Photo courtesy of Lee Grady)
Last week I served alongside a team of pastors at a ministry school in Debrecen, Hungary, a city I've visited four times. Even though I don't speak Hungarian (it's one of the most difficult languages on the planet), I had a blast working with my friends Zsolt, Eugene, István, Pál and Attila. We shared meals, worshiped and prayed together and opened our hearts on a deep level—with the help of my interpreter and, on a few occasions, the Google Translate program on my phone.
Nobody tried to be the star as we shared teaching slots during the week. We preferred each other and encouraged each other. And we laughed a lot because we really enjoyed each other's company. Every leader contributed his part—and in the end the students were blessed that their teachers flowed in harmony.
Teamwork is an essential part of God's plan for ministry. In both the Old and New Testaments, we see teams of people working side-by-side to further His kingdom. Moses shared leadership with Aaron and Miriam (see Micah 4:6) and David had a group of "mighty men" who performed valiant deeds under his command. Solomon appointed a team to serve as his deputies, Nehemiah rebuilt Jerusalem with teams of workers, and Esther's maidens prayed and fasted with her before she saved Israel from genocide.
Jesus loves teams. He gathered a group of hand-picked disciples and then sent them out to minister in pairs (Luke 10:1). He involved them in feeding the multitudes and healing sick people. In the same way, the apostle Paul never traveled anywhere alone, and he always credited the people who helped him. His love for Timothy, Phoebe, Luke, Silvanus, Titus, Priscilla and other team players is an obvious backdrop in his epistles.
So if teamwork is so essential to Christianity, why do we prefer the celebrity model of ministry today? Here are five clear reasons that teamwork is a better approach:
1. Teamwork accomplishes more. Anybody who has ever chopped down a tree with an axe or painted a house knows the job gets done quicker and easier when more people are working. Ecclesiastes 4:9 says: "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor." Ministry leaders are compared to oxen in the Bible, and Jesus said He would place a "yoke" on us when we are called to ministry (see Matt. 11:29). A yoke connects a team of oxen. Jesus never referred to his followers as renegade stallions who run off on their own. He called us to be yoked together with others. You will not achieve as much if you insist on doing everything yourself.
2. Teamwork unlocks people's potential. In a one-man show, a leader performs the up-front job, a few overworked people help in the background, and the crowd watches. Religious spectators are trained to sit—as if they have nothing useful to contribute. Yet the New Testament tells us the Holy Spirit gives every believer certain gifts, and we all are to use these gifts for the common good (1 Cor. 12:7, 11).
In today's megachurch culture, the celebrity pastor looms large on the big screen, and he may even broadcast his message to several satellite congregations. This might effectively reach some people for Jesus, and it might be a short-term solution for growth, but does it encourage every church member to discover his or her potential? The best leaders know how to involve lots of people to reach God's goal.
3. Teamwork encourages healthy relationships. It's easier to do ministry alone. But you will never grow if you do a solo act. When you are part of a team you must deal with competitive attitudes, jealousy, pride, complaints and hurt feelings. This is exactly why Jesus wants us to work together! You will never confront the flaws in your character unless you work with others. They will expose your selfishness, and you will expose theirs. Proverbs 27:17 says: "Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." God will use Brother Bothersome and Sister Sandpaper in your life to make you more loving—and more humble!
4. Teamwork prevents scandals. Years ago after televangelist Jim Bakker was released from prison, he admitted that he had surrounded himself with yes men who didn't have the courage to tell him he was making unethical business decisions. Leaders with a one-man-show mentality are in danger of doing incredibly stupid things because they lack accountability. Team ministry encourages transparency, and senior leaders recognize the value of getting honest feedback from their colleagues. You will fail as a leader if you don't have wise counselors who have access to you. Surround yourself with team players and ask them to point out your blind spots!
5. Teamwork keeps us from idolizing men. A well-known pastor in Nigeria was known to record his sermon each week and then send tapes of his message to his pastors throughout the country. The pastors were then expected to stand in their pulpits the following Sunday, play the recorded sermon ... and move their mouths to the words! They had no message of their own. They were simply clones of the "All-Important Man of God."
That may sound silly, but aren't we guilty of similar foolishness when we put leaders on pedestals and idolize their preaching style? The one-man show may have worked in the past, but the emerging generation has zero tolerance for religious phoniness. People today want healthy leaders who know how to share power instead of grabbing or abusing it.
J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. He is the author of The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale and other books.
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Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Teams – It Takes Two or More - Now Think On This by Steve Martin


Teams – It Takes Two or More
Now Think On This
Steve Martin



“In the Antioch congregation were prophets and teachers — Bar-Nabba, Shim‘on (known as “the Black”), Lucius (from Cyrene), Menachem (who had been brought up with Herod the governor) and Sha’ul. One time when they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Ruach HaKodesh said to them, “Set aside for me Bar-Nabba and Sha’ul for the work to which I have called them.” After fasting and praying, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. So these two, after they had been sent out by the Ruach HaKodesh, went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus.” Acts 13:1-4 CJB


Movies get our attention as much or more than any other image we may see. They can convey a message and impart a vision like no other media.

I like movies. I like to sit in the theatre, watching the big screen, being captivated by the action and emotion for that hour and a half, and then think about it later, reliving some of that which I experienced.

Movies have impact on people. That is why so many of us go to them, or watch on TV and on our iPads if we have one. They get us “out of here” and take us to a place we may not have been before, or will never get to go to in this life.

Sports can have that same emotional and lasting impact in our situations. We have our favorite players and teams, whom we give ourselves to, sometimes with our whole hearts. Growing up for me it was the Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball team that I cheered on. For my good wife Laurie, well, it was the Chicago Cubs. (I will just leave it at that and continue to write on.)

When you combine a good human life story with a sports theme, you really can have an impact on people, producing an inspiring movie. I will always remember the heart moving film Rudy, about the Notre Dame Fighting Irish college football player, getting his one moment to have his lifetime dream fulfilled. Both my Dad and I, and later my two sons, could relate to much of what Daniel Eugene "Rudy" Ruettiger grew up with, and desired.

Ruettiger's story was told in that 1993 film, which starred actor Sean Astin in the title role as Rudy. The film was written by Angelo Pizzo, directed by David Anspaugh and produced by Rob Fried, both of whom were involved in Hoosiers. Ruettiger appeared in a cameo as a fan behind Rudy's father and brother during the final scene. Dad and I later met Rudy a few years before Dad died of lymphoma cancer in July, 2000. It had been a real desire of his to do so.

Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger – 1975 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Most sports we cheer on are of teams, where two or more players, whether men or women, combine their skills, work together after much practice time, and compete against another team for the joy of winning and the winning prize. They can achieve something that those going at it alone will not. They accomplish victory together. If they have tried doing it by themselves, it would not have been possible to get it done. Two or more contending for the same goal indeed are better than one. Teammates get it done.

In these last days, as He did in the first century, I believe the Lord is forming teams to accomplish His end time purposes. He is not wanting one man or one woman going at it alone, knowing they will fall and fail. We have been created to live and work together as a team, on a team. Something more, something greater happens when we do so, rather than going at it alone.

Rudy could not have had that moment of glory out there on the football field battling against the opposing group of 11 players by himself. Because his teammates were there and did their individual parts, he was able to fulfill his dream, resulting in that dramatic action that made a good movie, and touched lives for so many more years.

I want to impact this world with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to give myself to accomplishing the dreams He has placed in my heart, as part of His eternal plan and purpose in the nations. I know you do too.

The Lord is putting together His teams to get the job done. He is connecting bone to bone, joints and ligaments, which will provide the means and support to move, to go, whereby we will get the job done. As my wife and I connect with a team, our gifts given to us to serve others with will be joined with those having their gifts, which together as a team will change lives forever in the nations.

May your heart’s purpose be to connect, to find those you are to team with, and as one fulfill the calling you and those you walk with will have in His wide Kingdom realm. Be a team player.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People. Inc.

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Now Think On This #142 “Teams – It Takes Two or More” by Steve Martin 
Date: In the year of our Lord 2014 (04.16.14) Wednesday at 5:30 am in Charlotte, NC.


All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on our newest website: Now Think On This